This monograph is a reflection of the intensive investigations and rapid strides that have taken place in recent years in the field of arterial surgery. It is concerned primarily with the development of a plastic arterial graft that has proved to be functionally satisfactory. Although admittedly not the ultimate in synthetic grafts, there is good reason to believe that it provides a long step toward the objective of a completely acceptable replacement for arterial homografts. The author and his associates deserve much credit for their contribution toward this goal and particularly for the adoption of the crimping principle in the design of their graft, an important factor in making it functionally satisfactory. The first two chapters deal with the history of arterial grafts and with the development of the crimped nylon tubes used by the author and his associates. The chemical and textile characteristics of the various synthetic materials from